Rembrandt Van Rijn's drawing of Jesus, Healing and Teaching
1 Corinthians 15:6
After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
John 20
Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”
Peter and John Running by Dan Burr
3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.
11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.
13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”
Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 1
8 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.
Rembrandt Van Rijn
19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, [Greek, Ioudaioi probably refers to Jewish leader and others under their infuence] Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
24 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, [Didymus] was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
Rembrandt Van Rijn
26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and[e] went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
It's disconcerting, to me, Jesus was reported to walk among them and His disciples didn't recognize him. I always look to this portion - and I am grateful His disciple John records seeing Jesus appear in a locked room with absolute recognition of Jesus and the wounds He bore for us. It is a portion of Scripture I hold on to. And think on when I need Spiritual reassurance. I think this is a good thing. Not something to be embarrassed about. The disciples were confused and afraid ~ and they were there with Jesus.
Another portion to consider is the time frame of Jesus - announcing the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
Thomas cried out John 20:28
Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
29Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Other people saw and believed:
Matthew 27:54
When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”
Faith is like the parable of the workers arriving through the day- Nathanael got there much earlier than Peter:
John's First Chapter of His Gospel:
47When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
Jesus was not recognized for a very good reason. Jesus was eating fish. Making Breakfast for the disciples at the end of the Gospel of John. The Good News of Jesus Christ is concrete, the promises we can hold on to are real. Jesus was becoming a New Creation of Heaven.
Revelation 21
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Jesus was showing us about concrete and new bodies for His Kingdom.
2 Corinthians 5
For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies.
Romans 8:23
Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.
1 Corinthians 15:51
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed--
I wonder if Jesus was younger. Back with his family. Mary, Joseph, James, Joseph (Joses), Judas (Jude) and Simon Also, Scriptures mentioned sisters of Jesus. Third century history of famous historian Eusebius of Caesarea, Bishop of Caesarea in Palestine about the year 314 A.D., wrote of their descendants desposyni, from the Greek δεσπόσυνοι, plural of δεσπόσυνος, meaning "of or belonging to the Master or Lord" It wasn't later until the Catholic Clergy abolished marriage from priests did the Church maintain these were not the Scripture references to His family.
[Priest celibacy began to spread in the Church during the Middle Ages. The by the seventh century it had been affirmed in a number of ecumenical councils -the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary. Please note the Church very much relies upon the Bishop of Caesarea (notice with me the proximity to the event) to tell - today - of Church History. It would seem these seams could be woven together by the witnesses in Nazareth the Holy Spirit places in two Gospels.
In the early 11th century Pope Benedict VIII responded to the decline in priestly morality (the priests were terrible about taking a wife and sometimes a mistress) by issuing a rule prohibiting the children of priests from inheriting property. A few decades later Pope Gregory VII issued a decree against clerical marriages.
The Church was a thousand years old before it definitively took a stand in favor of celibacy in the twelfth century at the Second Lateran Council held in 1139, when a rule was approved forbidding priests to marry. In 1563, the Council of Trent reaffirmed the tradition of celibacy.] [Let's all write Pope Francis and tell him respectfully God initiated marriage as from Him, early on. Peter was not shunned for being married by Jesus.]
1 Corinthians 15:53
For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
His Mercy Endures Forever.
I am grateful, too, for the way John closes His Gospel Chapter. I like Spiritual Wonder. I'd really, really like to know more of what Jesus did. And some Glorious Day. We will know more about the days Jesus chose to wade into the fray. Being Glory, Grace and Truth. For from His fullness we have all received, Grace upon Grace.
Thank You, Father God, for providing a Thomas to do what we all do. Take a deep breath and be let faith fill our hearts. The Holy Spirit of God prays for us, all the time. Alleluia. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen
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